the_prodigal_sonfandomcom-20200214-history
Elder Son
Literary Analysis We have posted five videos (and one trailer), which among them cover youth from grade school through high school. One thing clear is that the enigmatic, hanging ending involving the Elder son is unacceptable to this modern format (and so, for modern young people?). The videos regularly include foregrounding and explanatory material about the Elder Son: Skulking and observing (Beginner's Bible), or breaking into the narrative thread with sarcasm and knowledge of events (The Prodigal Son: A Social Media Retelling), or evidencing anger through posture and gesture (Parables of Jesus: The Parable of the Prodigal Son). The remaining full videos, for younger children, simply ignore Lk. 15: 25-32, the Elder Son's failure to reconcile. That has been a literary strategy; to regard the elder son sequence as a "separate scene" (Tannehill, p. 242) or a separate part (Marshall, p. 605) used by Luke to bridge a larger theme of conflict with Pharisees. That ignores the unifying theme of reconciliation sought by the father for both sons. "If the sinner...is at home in the Father's house, ...this fact puts to the man who is legally righteous the challenge whether... obedience in hard-earned merit ...or ...a joyous being at home in the Father's house" (Marshall p. 613). Either way, the tendency of Biblical story not ''to include psychologizing or direct character development is overridden by the need to explain. In Patristic allegory, the Elder Son has often been seen as representing Jews (versus gentiles) or the "ostensibly just person" (versus "the penitent sinner"), particularly "arrogant Christians" (Snodgrass, p. 127). This seems (to this reader) to beg the question whether a Psalmic (Happy versus Wicked, Ps. 1) or Proverbial (fool versus wise, Prov. 7 & 8) pairing of the brothers is in the background. If that is the case, Jesus (or Luke) has put the wise person in a difficult light. Neither this Elder son nor the reader has seen unequivocal repentance on the part of the Younger Son. The language is there (in "I have sinned", and perhaps in ''eis heauton de elthon), but debatable (Snodgrass, p. 138). Such repentance would be necessary culturally and theologically, but that problem belongs to the Younger Son. The Elder Son's problem is simpler: Wisdom says "Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate" (Prov. 8:13b). In the outdoor scene with his father, during the feast, the Elder Son "makes claims about himself', "excoriates the father" and "humiliates the father for his foolishness" (Hultgren p. 80). Further, he fails to address his father as "father" (Hultgren, p. 81), indicating a lack of respect. His claim "'' 'oudepote entolen sou parelthen' ("never have I disobeyed your command") is virtually identical to that of Deut. 26:13 in the LXX" and "makes a not-so-veiled reference to the Pharisees" (Hultgen, p. 81). Wright compares it to Phil. 3:6, and says "that was the Pharisee's boast" (Wright, p. 190). Historical Criticism "What is portrayed in the parable, therefore, is the love of God for his wayward children,a theme already developed in the OT [''sic]: with reference to Je. 3:22 G. Quell notes how the backsliding Israelites are summoned to return to God as to a Father, and 'in Jer. 31: 18-20 ... one may clearly perceive the original of the parable of the prodigal" (Marshall, p. 604). The question of whether the parable is Jesus', or Luke's, and the further question of whether each is in whole or in part, may be unresolvable. For Hultgren, the Younger Son is immoral, not ignorant, and thus not a gentile. The Elder Son's anger is "highly moralistic" (Hultgren, p. 84), and likely reflects Jesus' contemporary conflict of interpretation with some Pharisees. Christians are not in view. For Hultgren, this parable, alongside the Workers in the vineyard, "can be considered a double attestation of the theology of Jesus himself" (Hultgren p. 84). The attribution of Jews and gentiles in conflict is not native to the parable, but an historical accretion.The identification of the Elder son with the Pharisees, on the other hand, is plausible. History of Interpretation I want to focus on one of our videos, The Beginner's Bible - Prodigal Son. ''The presentation includes the Lost Sheep and Lost Coin parables (Lk. 15: 3-10), as well as setting up the conflict it focuses on (Jesus and Pharisees) with !5: 1-2. A very winsome and patient Jesus tries hard with the Pharisees (the only characters who never smile), in the presence of sinners and tax collectors, to present his reasoning on reconciliation and to support it theologically (God's abounding love). The Pharisees demean and degrade said sinners and tax collectors, in word and gesture, to their faces. They disregard the first two parables, as being about "things". When Jesus asserts they are really about people, the Pharisees counter he can't mean these "worthless, bad people". Jesus offers one more story, the Prodigal Son. As the story begins, the family is intact and loving. The Elder son is depicted as capable and hard-working (and the Younger as hapless and dreaming). At the first crisis, the departure of the Prodigal, the father simplu gives money to his younger son -- ''and explains that to the Elder Son! ''It is evident in body language and one quiet outburst that the Elder Son considers this unfair; then, in the goodbye scene, he refuses to wave goodbye. He settles into character, and his identity with the Pharisees becomes clear. In the final crisis, outside the celebration with father and Elder Son, we again - and dramatically! - leave the Lukan narrative. The father persuades the Elder Son of the wisdom of receiving the Younger Son, and the Elder Son ''goes into the house and enacts a reconciliation. We are returned to the story scene, with Jesus, the crowd and the Pharisees. The Pharisees state dismissively "we are not convinced", and turn on their heels and leave. Jesus turns to the rest, and says "God forgives even Pharisees". The narration then supports what has been clear all along through gestures and countenances: "Everyone else listened!" Whether or not the Elder Son is a foil for the Pharisees, what happens in the parable is that he (or they) simply doesn't accept Jesus' rather extreme views on reconciliation (especially without repentance). If Ken Bailey is right to retroject the mores of a modern, conservative arab village into this story, that seems about right. But Bailey steers away from that in his summary of the Elder Son's actions, instead pointing to his breaches of social and family interaction (Bailey, pp. 84-86). That's how hard it is to escape the identification of this son with the Pharisees. The Elder Son rebels, is rude, clings to law rather than love. "He is consumed with envy, pride, bitterness, sarcasm, anger, resentment, self-centeredness, hate, stinginess, self-satisfaction and self-deception. Yet he appears to see his actions as a righteous search for honor" (Bailey, p. 86). That is the caricature of the Pharisees the video buys into, and which the nascent Christian church proposed. It has been taken up, and has too often been part of a larger anti-Jewish vitriol, ever since. Theological Themes and Implications Two from Bailey: "Sin... 'the sin of the law breaker...and the sin of the law keeper. Each centers on a broken relationship" (Bailey, p. 87). "'Eschatology. The Messianic banquet has begun. All who accept the father's costly love are welcome as his guests" (Bailey, p. 89). The argument can be made that Jesus spent a fair amount of effort and argumentation on the idea law-keeping has reasonable limits, as in healing on the Sabbath, and that too much rigor might sometimes cause suffering. But he was able to find the language of his exceptions in the Bible, and thus introduce them as arguments and counter-arguments in discussion with scholars. But for those who keep the law, it is a delight (Ps. 119); for those who don't, Jesus asserts with the tradition there is judgment. The Elder Son can be seen, not as recalcitrant, but as careful of his father's and brother's status before God. That the messianic banquet has begun is a view unique to Christians (and not all Christians), not a consensus amongst the children of Abraham. "The parable does not give much basis for thinking future eschatology is in mind. The focus is on the present celebration that should be taking place. If anything, realized eschatology is at work here" (Snodgrass, p. 137). Hultgren notes "the parable clearly portrays the love and forgiveness of God as unconditional and prevenient" (Hultgren, p. 87). This is the sticky point in the video, and Hultgren goes there - "Those who are righteous...are still loved by God; the difficulty is to get them to realize that others are as well" (Hultgren, p. 87). In this, Hultgren agrees with Jesus. But Jesus of the parable, unlike Jesus of the cartoon, is presenting a point of view, for discussion, and is not summarily judging the Pharisees. Application to Children and Youth There is something going on in the general understanding of this parable that is parallel to a problem being addressed in American society today -- white privilege. White privilege is assumed, in that quiet way that slips beneath the radar and isn't acknowledged; white people don't see it because they enjoy it. It just seems natural. In the same way, the "clear superiority" of Jesus' arguments is based mainly on not hearing, or if hearing not entertaining, any others; we spend our time in an echo chamber. The Elder Son, whether we like him or not, has points to make. His brother has a track record that should be taken into account, even as he isn't beaten over the head with it. The Elder Son, regardless of his reasons, has been loyal and responsible, and up til the events of the parable has honored his father. Evidently, the importance of property in itself and as a gift to posterity means enough to him that he has been abstemious, neither taking nor asking for anything. In short, while the virtues and benefits of forgiveness, reconciliation and unity can't be overstated, a story like this affords a chance to contemplate other ways of life than our own, where the emphases on these values might be qualitatively different. A serious engagement with traditional ways - in a variety of cultures - will be more instructive than the casual repetition of unchallenged "verities". Citations Aland, Barbara and Kurt; Karavidopoulos, Johannes; Martini, Carlo M., and Metzger, Bruce M.; eds.: Novum Testamentum Graece, 28th Revised Edition. 2012, Munster/Westphalia: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft Bailey, Kenneth E.: The Cross & the Prodigal” Luke 15 Through the Eyes of Middle Eastern Peasants. 2005, Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press Buttrick, George A. The Interpreter's Bible: Luke. John. 12 vols. Vol. 8, Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1982. Green, Joel B.: The Gospel of Luke. 1997, Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company Hultgren, Arland J.: the Parables of Jesus: A Commentary. 2002, Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company Keck, Leander E. Luke, John. New Interpreter's Bible. 12 vols. Vol. 9, Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1996. Marshall, I. Howard: The Gospel of Luke: A Commentary on the Greek Text. 1978, Exeter, U.K.: The Paternoster Press Plummer, Alfred. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel According to St. Luke. The International Critical Commentary. edited by 1902 New York: C. Scribner's Sons. Snodgrass, Klyne R.: Stories with Intent: A Comprehensive Guide to the Parables of Jesus. 2008, Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company Soards, Marion L., Thomas Dozeman, and Kendall McCabe. Year C: Lent. Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary. 4 vols. Vol. 2, Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1994. Tannehill, Robert C.: Abingdon New Testament Commentaries: Luke. 1996, Nashville: Abingdon Press Wright, Tom: Luke for Everyone. 2001, London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge Category:Citations